


(Love) is Golden, Like Latinum

by Donteatthefootcream



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betting Pool, Cadet Nog, Comfort No Hurt, Confusion, Crack Treated Seriously, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Matchmaking, Nog is my soft gay son, Pre-Relationship, Rom and Leeta are such a powerful couple I love them, resolved tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donteatthefootcream/pseuds/Donteatthefootcream
Summary: The crew has a betting pool open: When are Nog and Jake finally going to get together? Julian and Jadzia are trying to matchmake to increase their odds. Rom is trying to act like it doesn't exist while Leeta has high hopes on her bet. Quark is running it. This whole time, Nog and Jake are incredibly confused.
Relationships: Julian Bashir & Jadzia Dax, Julian Bashir/Elim Garak, Leeta/Rom (Star Trek), Nog/Jake Sisko, Odo/Quark (Star Trek)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	(Love) is Golden, Like Latinum

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I altered Taylor Swift lyrics to make the title more relevant lol. No regrets.

It all started as a joke. A comment dropped during a conversation by Dax. It was never meant to go this far, nearly majority of the crew putting something down. Dax hadn't expected "How much will you bet they'll never get together" for the pool to begin. Suddenly it was taken seriously, considering how long they're known each other, how close they are, how they both don't seem to know they're queer. Everything has been taken very seriously. Quark wishes he had more respect for himself not to involve himself in his nephew's love life, but here is, running the damn thing. 

"Tell your boyfriend he's lost. It's been more than a month," Quark informs Bashir, editing his padd. 

Bashir sighs, "Which means my time is coming up too."

"You mean ours. We had the same feeling. Month and a half," Jadzia reminds him, taking a sip from her drink. "We have to do something. I don't want my gambling record to be ruined by repressed homosexuals."

O'Brien joins their table. "Your deadline coming up?" He asks, chuckling. 

"Yes," They both reply. 

"Well, pick up. I've already lost mine. At this point, I don't see them getting together at all."

Leeta leaves her dabo table, heading to the bar for a drink of water. Currently, she's been having the best luck. They're two teenage boys: One with a low confidence and the other is so oblivious it's absurd. It'll take a _huge_ push for one of them to make a move, a move she calculated in her bet. She's simply waiting for someone to do it for her, and by the looks of defeat on Bashir and Dax's face it's bound to come sooner than later. 

She practically skips over to the table, avoiding Quark's watchful eyes as she makes her way. Even with the union, he's still very strict on breaks. Fortunately, he's distracted by the ever so suspicious Odo in the back. She rests herself on their table, bringing her bright smile over with her. 

"How's it going, guys?" She knowingly asks. 

"You already know," Dax grumbles. 

"One thing I've learned through life is that teenage boys are intolerable. Give them time." She chuckles, "Like two months?"

O'Brien laughs, Dax rolling her eyes. Leeta perks up however, seeing Rom coming over. He's too sweet to be mad, but he has been clearly weirded out by the betting pool. Leeta tries to be discreet about it for her husband's comfort. 

"Hi Leeta!" Rom greets her fondly, "How are you?"

"I'm great!" She kisses his forehead quickly. 

"Yes, she currently is great, Rom. She was just bragging to us about her high hopes in her bet. You know the one about Nog and Jake," Julian adds. 

"Oh, be quiet!" Leeta snaps. 

Rom shifts his weight only to change the topic. "Uh- how much did you bet again?"

"Two weeks pay."

"Are you sure what was a good idea? We only have our pays combined-"

"Rom, we'll be fine! I have this in the bag!" She runs a hand across Rom's shoulders, departing from the table. 

He watches as Leeta walks away, taking charge of her dabo table once again. When his gaze returns to the crowded table, he sighs and walks away. The less he interacts with the group, the better. He's not being wrapped up into this. 

Nog sits alone in the Replimat, waiting for Chief O'Brien to show. He was told by Lieutenant Commander Dax that the Chief wanted to see him, and when you're simply a cadet it's easier to take orders than question them. Yet, he's surprised that the Chief is running fifteen minutes behind, or didn't inform Nog himself that he wanted a meeting. 

Looking back, the entire exchange between him and Commander felt a bit odd. The look on her face was hiding a smile and the tone of her voice kept wavering between laughter and seriousness. Now, he's getting concerned that he's been played by a commanding officer. Was it some sort of test? Testing his abilities to respond to authority? Or, testing him to see if he has the guts to question command when it feels right? 

"Hey Nog, what are you doing here?" Jake asks him, walking past him towards the exits. He stops for him though. 

"I-I was told to meet Chief O'Brien here. He hasn't shown," Nog answers, staring blankly at the empty seat across from him. 

"Stood up? Yeah me too. Some girl asked me out just to not show up. Weird." Jake decides to take the empty seat, throwing a bright smile in Nog's direction. 

"What else is weird is that _Commander Dax_ was the one who told me to be here. Why would she lie?"

Jake hums, holding his chin in puzzlement. "Maybe it was a test-"

Nog grasps his head. "That's what I was thinking! I've probably failed-"

Jake quickly laughs, reaching a hand across the table in an attempt to calm his friend. "Joking, Nog! If anything, she pulled a strange prank. You know how she can be!"

Nog pauses, taking the thought into consideration. "Yeah, you're right." He smiles back at Jake, "Aren't I so glad to have you as a friend? Always there to speak some sense!"

"I'm glad to have you too, Nog." 

There's a pregnant silence, a silence that they hardly notice these days. Moments like these are often, where something is said and it _feels_ as if they're supposed to do something else in response. Neither of them have figured it out. So, they've become used to the unresolved tension.

"Well, since we're both here with no company, how about I join you?" Jake stands, "Root beer?"

Nog nods. "You know it!"

Dr. Bashir and Commander Dax watch from a far. There's a great heaved sigh from the two, watching as nothing but the usual happens with Nog and Jake. Dax doesn't even want to know how much latinum Bashir spent to bribe that girl into asking Jake out. Hopefully future attempts will be more successful.

Another week passes before the two strike again. Even though Jake and Nog did end up eating together, nothing happened. They don't know why they're acting surprised. So, Dax is going to try to be a little bit more forward. The both of them are incredibly oblivious and non-confrontational when it comes to their relationship. 

"Cadet!" Dax calls down the Promenade. 

Nog turns to face her voice, waiting until she reaches him. Her long legs do carry her quickly. "Commander?"

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" She wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him along. 

"Is there a problem, Commander?"

"Oh no!" She shakes her head with a grin, "Do you ever get lonely, Nog?"

He's flustered. "What? No. Not really, I have Jake."

She nods, her lips tightening. "I'm glad you have Jake, but I was talking more like... romance?" She stops, using her wrapped arm to turn him towards her. "You know there's this one girl-"

A flash of fear and worry goes through his eyes. Dax almost feels bad. _Almost._ "N-no, no, I'm really fine. No girls- I mean- not interested. Thank you though."

"Okay, so no girls-"

"I didn't say that!" He's flushing, his posture becoming anxious. 

"Nog I don't care. I had a girlfriend." She makes an act of thinking of any possible prospects for him, "Queer men on this station your age? Hmmm..."

That's what does him in. He glances around, trying to think of an excuse to leave. "Commander, I do appreciate the attempt at assistance, but I've got duties. Have a good day."

She watches him walking away, feeling disappointed once again, but also bad. She did push a bit. Obviously put him in an uncomfortable position. Which gets her thinking, does Jake know of Nog's preferences? Does Nog know that his dad knows? This could be the root of the problem. The fear of rejection. At least Nog has his uncle, a man who's expressed interest in men before. Maybe she should be telling Nog that? 

Julian remembers the day Jake Sisko came into the infirmary, clearly nervous. It was a year prior to Nog leaving for Starfleet. The infirmary at the time was surprisingly empty, making the discussion more private for Jake. A lucky coincidence for the young man. 

"What can I help you with, Jake?" He had asked him. 

Jake fidgeted with his hands, looking anywhere but him. "You know how you and Mr. Garak are... together?" 

He smiled at the question and the thought of Garak. _The pesky tailor_. "Yes, I know. What's this leading to?"

Jake seemed to pale, finally looking at him. _Focused._ "How did you know? When you liked... guys?"

"I don't really know? It's always just been part of me. I didn't exactly figure out that it was... not as common until I matured."

Jake approached him, climbing into a chair near the doctor. "Say... I've matured. Say I've noticed that guys are attractive?" He makes eye contact with Bashir, only throwing him off. "Hypothetically! Of course!"

Bashir never pushed it. "Well, I'd say to try and ask someone out? Give someone a try? Being a teenager is a great time to try and learn new things. No harm in that."

Jake lost his anxiety, deflated at his prospects instead. "Okay, but what if I've only been with girls? How would break that to a parent? Without the doubt?"

"Since we're speaking about you hypothetically, I would say that Captain Sisko wouldn't doubt you for a moment. Accept the new knowledge in stride! _Hypothetically._ "

That made the young man smile. "Hypothetically."

And, it had been there secret ever since. If Jake had told his father, Julian wouldn't have known. 

Bashir and Dax are deeply considering telling the boys to ask each other out when they're down to a week left. It wouldn't hurt... really. And, it's nowhere close to February so they're cant pull the Valentine's Day trick. 

"Are you going to sit here and mope or order something?" Quark asks sharply, holding an empty tray at their table. 

Dax doesn't look him, continuing to look at a lost with her head in her hand. "I'll order something if it'll make your nephew make a move."

Quark frowns. "You've lost a bet. It happens to the best of us, including me. Now, do you want anything or not?"

Dax shrugs. "Guess I'll have a black hole." She says it only for Quark to take his grumpiness somewhere else. 

"We could blackmail Quark into bullying Nog into it?" Bashir suggests. 

"Blackmail. How?"

"I'll be the first one to say it then. Odo and Quark are hooking up."

"Duh! We've known this forever, Bashir."

"They're not public though!" He leans in, conspiring. "We tell Quark to bully Nog or we start tracking how long they're in the back room together... and how frequently."

She begins to laugh. "Oh, we're bad."

Quark sets the drink in front of her, startling the two of them. "Bad for what?" 

The duo look at him with a smirk. "We tell the station about you and Odo. Or, you get Nog into saying something."

He stares at them, shocked and frozen. They think they've broken him for a moment until he responds, "Oh please. I've slept with so many people on this ship. Odo's not special." He mocks a smile. "Nice try though. Nearly Ferengi worthy."

"Fine, Loverboy!" Dax shouts after him as he leaves. She can't believe they tried blackmail... _on a Ferengi._ They're getting desperate.

Jake and Nog are sitting at the usual spot, Jake taking the opportunity to with Nog on break. It feels as if he hasn't seen his best friend in months even though they share the same quarters. He misses him. Afraid of losing him too. He honestly doesn't know what he'd do without him. Nog being the first real comfort and happiness he had since his mother died. 

They're sitting in silence, letting their legs swing over and watch the people go by. Jake doesn't have anything to talk about, he just wanted Nog around him. He enjoys Nog's presence. When he was gone at Starfleet, the station didn't feel the same. It felt as if part of Jake left with Nog. 

_His heart, he suspects._

"Hey Nog-" Jake says breaking their quiet. He looks at Nog, seeing he has his full attention. "I-I'm bisexual." He doesn't know what possessed him to say it. Definitely now. Maybe it's the way Nog was looking at him. As if whatever he could say would never drive Nog away. 

Nog surveys him a moment, expecting some sort of dismissal from his friend. He doesn't get it. "Cool. That's cool." He wants to slap himself. _That is not how you respond._ "I'm gay." A little bit better. Some solidarity. 

Jake grins. "Yeah, I know."

Nog starts laughing, his smile so big that Jake can see all of his teeth. Nog really is his best friend. Possibly the love of his life. He can't bring himself to complain, instead joining in with the laughter. 

The day before losing their bet, Dax and Julian decide to lay out all their cards and go for it. Dax will handle Nog. Julian will try to get through to Jake. It's their last shot, it has to be a good one. _Their best one._ Besides, Quark publicly kissed Odo the other week. Their blackmail a little more daunting than he let on. If Quark can get his man, why can't Nog? At this point it's straight up annoying. 

Dax catches Nog in engineering, working on some panel. They haven't spoken much since their last encounter, work and likely Nog's embarrassment from the whole thing. She's beginning to think she might have a bit too confrontational. 

"Nog," Dax says, lightly gripping his shoulder to gain his attention.

He doesn't look at her directly, only glancing out the corner of his eye. "Commander."

"I know I've been a little weird lately, and I apologize." He lowers his tool, giving in to her apology. "But, it's because I really think you should tell Jake how you feel."

Quickly, she loses his attention. Nog going back to the panel. "I have no idea what you mean."

"You're kidding, right?" He doesn't reply, making her laugh from nerves. "You're head over heels for him, Nog. He feels the same for you too! Haven't you seen the way he looks at you? You must've!"

He faces her, his face expressionless. "I mean no disrespect, Commander, but I would prefer it if my personal relations were no longer a topic of conversation."

It's at that request where she realizes that playing matchmaker simply to win a bet was stupid. She's better than this. So what if Leeta wins? So what if they never get together (even though they should)? Dax and Bashir shouldn't have involved themselves so personally. She's so ashamed, she can't bring herself to apologize. She merely nods and walks away. 

"This might be strange, but-" Jake opens to Julian. "-I think you and Mr. Garak would be a perfect romcom novel. The gifted doctor in love with the, supposed, former Cardassian spy who's now a tailor? Brilliant. Don't you think?"

Julian never thought his relationship with Garak was somewhat strange until hearing it like that. He frowns at the thought, yet this is a perfect way to tell Jake into confessing to Nog. 

He smiles, "Yes, I suppose it could be, Jake."

"Ah cool! Is there a chance that I could interview you and Garak? It would help my writing."

Julian scribbles his signature down. "I'll have to ask him first."

"Okay, thanks, Doctor."

He turns to leave. Julian takes his chance. "Have you ever thought that your own love story would be a good novel?"

Jake retakes his position, looking at the doctor with utter confusion. "My own love story? What?"

"You're in love with Nog."

He splutters, crossing his arms over his chest. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about! Nog's my best friend-"

"You know what? Your love story wouldn't work. It doesn't have a happy ending."

Jake gives up the act, changing his denial to depressed. "There's never going to _be_ a happy ending."

"You could change that! Tell him how you feel! He's in love with you too. Do you not see how much he _adores_ you?"

He scratches the back of his. "No, I can't tell him. I can't ruin what we have."

Jake doesn't give Julian the chance to respond, or to even think of one. He leaves the infirmary faster than he's done before. Julian doesn't think he stepped over the line, simply put Jake in a difficult situation. He can understand. 

Dax and Bashir gave up after they lost the bet. The person left is Leeta, who is now beginning to show signs of worry. Weeks have passed since they lost, leaving tonight the last day for Leeta to win. She's been awfully quiet since the week began. They've chosen not to tease her. She put down a daring gamble. 

The single thing that might give Leeta a winning chance is that things have been different between the two boys. There's unresolved tension that _everyone_ can feel now. Quark's growing uncomfortable with it himself when the two show up in the bar. They're sending off a vibe, a vibe that makes everyone in a three feet radius of the two feel tension too. They're scaring people away. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. 

It's when Nog comes bounding up to his Uncle Quark at their table where things _change._ There's no tension coming from him. No awkwardness. His smile gives off joy and contentment. 

"Uncle Quark!" Nog greets joyfully, "Can I have two root beers?"

"Two? And why did you have to order them right away?" Quark questions, bewildered out by his nephew's demeanor. 

He's practically hopping in his spot. "I'm on a date!"

Quark looks at Dax and Bashir, checking to see if they heard what he just heard. "A date? With who?"

Nog nods to the other side of the room. There they see Jake sitting there with a smile, trying to be discreet when he looks over in Nog's direction. It's cute really. What breaks the moment of surprise is when Quark wraps Nog in a hug, telling him how it's about time. Nog takes a moment to reciprocate. 

"Leeta!" Quark shouts over the noise after their hug. 

She, and her dabo table companions, immediately look at Quark. Leeta looks as if she's expecting the worse. 

"You won!" 

Her jaw drops, then she swiftly recovers to run over. The three of them are happy for her, witnessing her hugging Nog as well and kissing his head. Nog's starting to grow worried, his laughter fake. 

"Won what?" Nog asks. 

"We've had a betting pool open the past few months on when you and Jake would get together," Quark explains hastily. 

At first Nog's shocked with a bit of freaked out, but it then becomes realization. "You two!" He points to Dax and Julian who laugh. "You're all... despicable."

They watch as he runs off in Jake's direction, most likely about to tell him what he's learned. And, if Jake kisses him after the information to make a point, it's sure to say that it's been a long time coming. 

**Author's Note:**

> Nog is my gay son. This is based off a joking headcannon from the Quodo discord ( love y'all). 
> 
> Petition for there to be more Nog/Jake Sisko fan fics smh. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
